Animal Planet :: Mammal Guide -- Tropical Grassland

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Aardvark

Aardvarks, along with anteaters and pangolins, demonstrate convergent evolution because they have all evolved similar features — such as an elongated snout and a long sticky tongue — for feeding on ants and termites.

The aardvark also possesses fur on its nostrils to exclude dust when it digs for food.

It spends its days alone sleeping in burrows that are also used by other species.

It also feeds on an underground tuber, Cucumis humifructus, also known as "the aardvark's cucumber."

Researchers believe a symbiotic relationship exists between the two species: the tuber, which is only found in areas where aardvarks thrive, provides the aardvark with much needed water, and the aardvark disseminates the tuber's seeds in its feces.

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	Name: Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) Family: Orycteropodidae (Aardvark) Range: Sub-Saharan Africa Habitat: Primarily grassland and savanna; also woodland and tropical forest Diet: Termites, ants and "the aardvark's cucumber" Head and Body Length: 3 to 5 feet (1 to 1.5 m) Tail Length: 24 to 28 inches (60 to 70 cm) Shoulder Height: 22 to 26 inches (55 to 65 cm) Weight: 110 to 176 pounds (50 to 80 kg) Life Cycle: Mating year-round, depending on locale; gestation 205 to 218 days, one (occasionally two) young born Description: Brown to yellow-gray in color; long, tapering snout; large ears; sparse, bristly fur; piglike body; curved back; powerful limbs; shovel-shaped claws; tapered tail Conservation Status: Not listed by the IUCN. Related Content: Corwin's Carnival — Lil' Mammals